[CHRD] Chen Guangcheng Fate Still Uncertain, Supporters Still Facing Retaliation; Three Netizens Released on Bail; and more.

Top News
• Chen Guangcheng Arrangement Uncertain, Concerns Swirl Over Family’s Safety: Conditions negotiated by US and Chinese officials for activist and lawyer Chen Guangcheng and his family to remain in China may not guarantee their safety—causing the couple to express their wish to leave the country—while several of Chen’s relatives and supporters continue to face retaliation.

• Netizens Detained After Public March in Guangzhou Released on Bail: Police in Guangzhou have freed on bail three netizens who were criminally detained a month ago following a demonstration in which they called for officials to publicly disclose their financial assets and voiced support for Premier Wen Jiabao’s call for political reforms.
• CHRD Makes UN Submission in Behalf of Imprisoned Activist Chen Xi: CHRD recently submitted allegations of human rights violations to UN Special Procedures on behalf of Guizhou activist Chen Xi, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for “inciting subversion of state power.” Sent on March 27, the submission alleged arbitrary detention, violation of freedom of expression, and violation of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
Contents
◦ Arbitrary Detention
▪ Fate of Chen Guangcheng, Family in Limbo As Questions Swirl, More Negotiations Expected
▪ Guangzhou Police Release Three Netizens Tied to Public March, One Suffers Physically in Detention
▪ Inner Mongolia Authorities Accuse Activist of Organizing “Army,” Allow Family Visit After Two Months
▪ Anhui Authorities Send Activist to 18 Months of RTL in Move to Stifle Petitioning
▪ Jiangsu Police Detain Couple Over Grievance About Coerced Home Agreement
▪ Guangzhou Labor Representatives Criminally Detained for “False Imprisonment”

◦ Harassment of Activists
▪ After Chen Guangcheng Escape, Shandong Police Move to Control, Intimidate Activists
▪ Hunan Activists Held for Signature Campaign in Support of Political Reforms
▪ Hunan Police Detain Activists Prior to Memorial Service for Executed Dissident Lin Zhao
▪ Authorities in Beijing Sweep Up More Than 700 Shanghai Petitioners

Arbitrary Detention
Fate of Chen Guangcheng, Family in Limbo As Questions Swirl, More Negotiations Expected
The fate of “barefoot” lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚) and his family remains in limbo after an agreement was hashed out by Chinese and American officials for them to remain in China, only for Chen and his wife Yuan Weijing (袁伟静) to later express a wish to leave the country, fearing for their safety (see CHRD statement). According to recent media reports, the US government has acknowledged that Chen and his family now wish to go to the United States. However, it is not known at the time of writing if any discussions have resumed between US and Chinese officials, or even how such talks may take place after Chen had already accepted terms of remaining in China. Complicating the picture is that Chen is out from under US protection while receiving medical attention at Chaoyang Hospital, a location designated by Chinese officials once Chen decided to stay in China. The hospital is surrounded by guards, and neither US embassy officials nor Chen’s friends have been given access to the activist. Under the terms that Chen accepted before leaving the US Embassy, central Chinese officials had promised that Chen and his family will be treated humanely, and Chen would be given the chance to study law at a university in China. After having given sanctuary to Chen in the American Embassy for six days, the US government may well have accepted the Chinese government’s word in order to smooth out matters for the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue being held in Beijing this week. After the agreement was brokered, American officials delivered the activist to Chaoyang Hospital on May 2. Yuan Weijing and the couple’s two children, who authorities brought to Beijing from their home in Linyi City, were able to visit Chen in the hospital. At that time, Yuan informed her husband that Linyi authorities had assaulted her and threatened her with further violence if Chen did not leave the US Embassy, a revelation that persuaded Chen to rethink his decision to remain in China. Thus far, neither US nor Chinese officials have clearly described how the family’s safety would be guaranteed if they did not go abroad. In addition, it is strongly suspected that Chen, before deciding to stay in the country, may not have had access to sufficient information or key supporters that could have helped him weigh all his options. Several of Chen’s relatives still reportedly remain in custody in Shandong, and a number of his supporters in Beijing have faced retaliation related to Chen’s situation. A reliable source has indicated that supporter He Peirong (何培荣), who helped Chen flee Shandong on April 22, was released on April 30 after several days in police custody, but that she has been warned not to communicate with others. On May 2, police blocked human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong (江天勇) from seeing Chen in the hospital and then dragged him away the next day, when at least five national security officers beat Jiang, damaging his hearing in both ears, according to his wife. Also, security officers reportedly told activist Zeng Jinyan (曾金燕) on May 3 that she would be under house arrest “for the next few days,” leading her to go online to request the media not contact her. (CHRD)[1]

Guangzhou Police Release Three Netizens Tied to Public March, One Suffers Physically in Detention
By May 1, police in Guangzhou had reportedly released three netizens on bail after they had been criminally detained on charges of “illegal assembly” for taking part in a march during which they held up signs calling on officials to disclose their assets and expressed support for Premier Wen Jiabao’s call for political reform. The families of the netizens—Huang Wenxun (黄文勋), Xiao Yong (肖勇), and Ou Ronggui (欧荣贵)—had been pressured to dismiss lawyers hired for their respective cases, and police had blocked attorneys from visiting the men in detention, specifically claiming in Ou’s case that his alleged crime involved “state secrets.” The three men were detained about one month ago for the incident, which took place on March 31 in Guangzhou’s city center. Other netizens seized after the march, including Yang Chong (杨崇) of Jiangxi and Luo Shouheng (罗守恒), are expected to be released soon. While being interrogated in the Guangzhou No. 1 Detention Center, Xiao Yong was reportedly not allowed to sleep for five straight days. During his period of detention, he lost a significant amount of weight and had blood in his urine as his overall health declined. After his release, Xiao, who is originally from Hunan Province, was sent back to his hometown of Shaoyang City, and police warned him not to return to Guangzhou for the time being. (CHRD)[2]

Inner Mongolia Authorities Accuse Activist of Organizing “Army,” Allow Family Visit After Two Months
CHRD has learned that Inner Mongolia authorities are detaining anti-corruption activist Ma Liangfu (马良富) on suspicion of forming an “army,” while they have also allowed a relative to see Ma after holding him incommunicado for two months. On April 9, Ma’s cousin, Ma Liangqing (马良清), was asked to come see the chief of the Alxa League Public Security Bureau, who told Ma Liangqing the next day that his cousin has been accused of “planning a 100,000-strong army and has already recruited 30,000 individuals.” To this, Ma Liangqing responded that Ma Liangfu is disabled and unable to even care for himself, and would not have the financial means to organize such a group. When Ma Liangqing asked why the family has not received notification of his cousin’s detention, the chief claimed the case is “special” and that he himself is also not allowed to view case documents. The chief further said that Ma Liangfu could perhaps be released sooner if he would confess. On April 11, Ma Liangqing was able to see his cousin, who was doing fine emotionally but has suffered chest pains since being taken into custody. Ma Liangfu said police have pressured him to admit to having committed some “baffling” crimes, but he has refused to do so. Their conversation, which lasted about one hour, was reportedly monitored and also recorded. It is unclear where Ma Liangfu is being held; he was brought to the meeting at a police facility from an undisclosed location. On February 10, national security officers from Alxa League took Ma Liangfu from his home without going through legal procedures and after he allegedly distributed leaflets in Beijing. Founder of the China Anti-Corruption Alliance, Ma was beaten by thugs with alleged ties to government officials in December 1999 and lost his right eye as a result. He went on to engage in rights defense activities after not receiving proper redress, and in retaliation, authorities have repeatedly summoned and illegally detained Ma. (CHRD)[3]

Anhui Authorities Send Activist to 18 Months of RTL in Move to Stifle Petitioning
Anhui activist Wei Zhaozhi (韦朝芝) has been given an 18-month Reeducation through Labor (RTL) punishment, allegedly for “disrupting work unit order” of the provincial government early this year. On April 23, Hefei authorities requested Wei’s wife, who learned of the RTL decision the previous day, to come talk with them about a compensation plan related to the demolition of the couple’s home—the apparent reason for Wei’s petitioning. At the meeting, Wei’s wife insisted the RTL decision be rescinded. While she conceded that Wei was apparently trying to seek out legislators when he went to the conference center of the Anhui Provincial People’s Congress and a guesthouse in Hefei in mid-January, she insisted that her husband’s actions were legal. Fellow petitioners and Wei’s family feel authorities may be targeting him since he often communicates and exchanges ideas with other petitioners about their grievances. (CHRD)[4]

Jiangsu Police Detain Couple Over Grievance About Coerced Home Agreement

Jiangsu police have criminally detained a husband and wife on suspicion of “gathering a crowd to disrupt social order” in retaliation for petitioning over the demolition of their home. On April 19, more than 100 residents of Changzhou City went to present grievances to provincial authorities in Nanjing but were intercepted and beaten by a group of police officers. The next day, personnel from the Changzhou City Letters and Visits Office, policemen, and interceptors from various districts in Changzhou went to Nanjing and took many of the petitioners away. Late that evening, police reportedly forced their way into the home of a married couple, Jiang Zhiping (蒋志平) and Pan Qiaofeng (潘巧凤), and dragged them off. The couple’s daughter went to a local police station the next morning to ask about her parents’ whereabouts, but officers told her that they did not know any information. That afternoon, she received a criminal detention notice for her parents, though she questioned its validity since it was not signed by an officer or inscribed with a precise time; she subsequently went to the local public security bureau, where the chief simply had a case handler sign and date the document. Jiang and Pan began to seek justice after they were beaten and coerced to sign an agreement in 2006 about relocation from their residence, and when they found out that the home actually lay outside a boundary set by demolition authorities. (CHRD)[5]

Guangzhou Labor Representatives Criminally Detained for “False Imprisonment”
Two worker representatives in Guangzhou have been detained for three weeks, reportedly on suspicion of “false imprisonment,” after confronting a company manager about a delayed response in dealing with old-age insurance fees charged to workers. Early this month, the human resources manager, surnamed He, of the Hengbao Accessories Company held negotiations with workers. Also present at the talks were, among others, security guards, government workers, and police officers. Talks went on until April 3, when some workers got into a physical altercation with He, who was pushed to the ground. Workers alerted police, who took He and the workers involved to the police station. They were quickly released, but police then took into custody Cai Manji (蔡满基) and Xie Yumei (谢玉梅), who had been representing the workers in the negotiations, and the two were sent to the Shaowan Detention Center on April 4. Cai and Xie are believed to have been criminally detained on suspicion of inciting workers to falsely imprison He, though authorities in Panyu District have not explicitly explained the reason for the pair’s detention. Workers have submitted a letter to police stating that He’s freedom was not limited during the talks. The workers had originally hoped that management would settle the issue of the insurance fees before the end of 2011, months before talks finally took place. (CHRD)[6]

Harassment of Activists
After Chen Guangcheng Escape, Shandong Police Move to Control, Intimidate Activists
Around International Labor Day on May 1, police in Shandong “arranged talks” with activists and began to tightly guard another after the escape of lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚) from house arrest. In recent days, police in Jinan City questioned several activists about their knowledge of Chen Guangcheng’s escape, and warned them to not get involved in the matter and to stay at home. These activists include Ni Wenhua (倪文华), a grassroots legal advocate, and Liu Guohui (刘国慧), who had tried to see Chen several times when the lawyer was under house arrest in Linyi City, as well as Che Hongnian (车宏年) and Zhang Jinfeng (张金凤). In addition, Jinan police told Professor Sun Wenguang (孙文广) on April 30 that he will be placed under strict guard until further notice. Though Sun was not given a reason for the police action, he noted to CHRD this is the first time his home has been guarded around the May 1 holiday, leading some to speculate the tight restriction on his movement is also due in part to Chen Guangcheng’s situation. Sun also suspects that police wanted to prevent him from organizing an “illegal assembly” for the May 1 holiday or keep tabs on him with high-level officials coming to Jinan to conduct inspections. (CHRD)[7]

Hunan Activists Held for Signature Campaign in Support of Political Reforms
Hunan police have taken into custody an activist for allegedly spearheading an online signature campaign to support Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s recent call for political reforms. On April 25, about 15 police officers from the Xiangxiang City Public Security Bureau went to the home of activist Yin Weihe (尹卫和) and dragged him away along with a friend, Xu Guangdi (许光第), who is from Hubei Province. Police reportedly did not present any legal documents in seizing the men while also confiscating Yin’s cell phone and motorcycle as well as Xu’s computer, cell phone, passport, ID card, and bank cards. Yin reportedly launched a campaign to collect signatures of citizens, mostly petitioners, who support the idea of political reforms after the Chinese premier had expressed a need for such changes at the end of the National People’s Congress in March. Yin Weihe’s rights-defense activities have historical roots tied to the death of his father, a Nationalist Party member killed in 1952 after being labeled a “counterrevolutionary.” In 1985, a court in Xiangxiang vindicated Yin’s father and rewarded the family 400 RMB (approx. US$64) in compensation. Unsatisfied with the amount of redress, Yin began petitioning the provincial and city governments and also went to Beijing to seek justice. More recently, Yin has gotten involved in activism over violent incidents of land requisition in Xiangxiang. (CRLW)[8]

Hunan Police Detain Activists Prior to Memorial Service for Executed Dissident Lin Zhao
Police in Hunan temporarily detained activists Zhu Chengzhi (朱承志) and Ouyang Jinghua (欧阳经华), most likely to keep them from attending a memorial service marking the anniversary of the death of Lin Zhao (林昭), the dissident who was executed on April 29, 1968. Zhu was seized on April 28 by national security officers in Suzhou, Lin’s birthplace and where the service was being held. Zhu later indicated to CHRD that he had been freed the following evening after being held in a guesthouse. On April 26, national security officers seized Ouyang, a Suining County resident in his 70s, from a railway station in Shaoyang City just as he was about to board a train to Suzhou. Shortly thereafter, Ouyang had returned safely to his home, but officers had confiscated five of his t-shirts he brought to Suzhou with the image of lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚), who recently fled his house arrest in Shandong. (CHRD)[9]

Authorities in Beijing Sweep Up More Than 700 Shanghai Petitioners
On April 27, authorities in Beijing seized more than 700 residents from Shanghai who were petitioning in the capital, forcing them onto police vehicles and detaining them in two separate black jails. More than 400 petitioners were taken to the black jail at Jiujingzhuang while several hundred more were held at the relief station at the Beijing South Railway Station. The detained petitioners were among nearly 1,000 citizens of Shanghai who were bound for the State Bureau of Letters and Visits when they were intercepted. Some petitioners scuffled with police who blocked them from taking photos of the large-scale sweep, and petitioners were beaten when they refused to board police vehicles. A small number of elderly or ill petitioners were released after being coerced to sign guarantees to leave Beijing. The Shanghai residents were petitioning over grievances related to forced demolitions, illegal land requisition, problems with health care, and injustice in the court system. A petitioner informed CHRD that many Shanghai petitioners have specifically designated the last Friday of every month as a day to go to the State Bureau of Letters and Visits to try to present their grievances. (CHRD)[10]

Freedom of Expression
Qinghai Police Detain Tibetan Singer for “Political Songs”
Police in Qinghai Province have detained a well-known ethnic Tibetan singer for allegedly singing songs with heavily political themes, and after he had released of an album featuring such music. In the Yushu (Tibetan: Jyekundo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, officers from the Chengdu (Tibetan: Trindu) County Public Security Bureau reportedly took Lo Lo (罗罗) into custody on April 19, but without issuing any legal documentation. Several months ago, the 29-year-old singer had released an album titled “Raise the Tibetan Flag, Children of the Snow Land,” which contains 14 songs with lyrics calling for Tibet’s independence, unity of the Tibetan people, and the return of Dalai Lama to Tibet. At the time of writing, any charges against Lo Lo and his whereabouts remain unknown. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy)[11]

Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Guangxi Chengguan Officers Beat Elderly Man, Incident Falsified on Television News
CHRD has learned that “city administration and law enforcement” (chengguan [城管]) officers in Guangxi Province beat an elderly man on April 14 as dozens of officers quarreled with and beat street vendors, a series of incidents that authorities later covered up with a falsified news report. The man came to the scene in Nanning City as chengguan officers used batons and electric rods to beat vendors who were refusing to pay “management fees.” Initially looking to help mediate the conflict, the man was knocked to the ground by a chengguan officer. A passerby, Deng Wenxiang (邓文相), then tried to take photos of the incident with his cell phone. Upon seeing this, officers threatened Deng and proceeded to hold and beat him before snatching away his phone. The beating resulted in injuries to Deng’s back and thighs, among other places. An officer then tried to force Deng to delete the photos and videos on his phone, but Deng insisted on going to see police officers before deleting any recorded material, or otherwise he would contact the press. Deng was then placed into a vehicle and threatened with more physical violence over his confrontational behavior, and the images ended up being forcibly removed. Deng later went to the Wuliting Police Station to file a report and also contacted the China Morning Post, but neither the police nor the newspaper took any action on the incident. In an even more bitter turn of events, the provincial television news concocted a report about what had happened, claiming that the old man was knocked down accidentally and not seriously hurt. The report further stated that the chengguan officer involved went to see the man in the hospital—no such visit took place—and that the man was not trying to hold anyone responsible for the treatment that he endured. The report also did not mention Deng’s beating. (CHRD)[12]

Shandong Police Handcuff, Shackle Detained Petitioner Jing Meijie
CHRD has learned that petitioner Jing Meijie (荆美杰) has been subjected to humiliating treatment while serving an administrative detention in Shandong, where police in Laizhou City have taken aggressive measures against Jing for her petitioning and after she escaped from officers two weeks ago. Jing has adamantly protested her detention, according to another petitioner, Hao Weiying (郝伟英), who was recently detained in the same as Jing location in Laizhou City. To deal with Jing’s resistance, police at one point handcuffed her and shackled her legs, chaining her to a bed for 24 hours. Unable to move, Jing ended up defecating and urinating in her pants. Hao herself was released from an administrative detention on April 25, one day earlier than scheduled, since authorities feared for her life after she had lost consciousness several times in detention due to complications from breast cancer. Jing Meijie and other petitioners, including Hao, had reportedly protested outside the State Letters and Visits Bureau in Beijing on April 11. After the petitioners were seized and brought back to Shandong, Jing escaped from police custody but was then taken from her home on April 20 by officers from the Laizhou City Public Security Bureau, who pegged Jing as the group’s ringleader. (CHRD)[13]

Forced Eviction and Demolition/Land Expropriation
Xi’an Police Refuse to Investigate Burning Death From Demolition, Stifle News of Tragedy
Police in Shaanxi Province have refused to investigate the death of a Xi’an man who died from injuries from a fire that broke out when demolition workers allegedly poured gasoline on him during a forced demolition, and have also suppressed citizen action and prevented media reports surrounding the tragedy. On April 22, a day after Wei Baomin (魏宝民) died from injuries he sustained, his daughter, Wei Xin (魏新), sent out an online message seeking support for her family, and was then closely followed by police. In a state of desperation, she stopped a moving vehicle on a street on April 23, and officers seized her. While Wei Xin was being taken away, her younger brother screamed in the street about how the local government was “colluding with underground murderers” in not investigating Wei Baomin’s death, behavior that attracted hundreds of people, including police officers and underground thugs. While police reportedly videotaped this incident, officers warned and stopped others from recording images and have blocked media in Xi’an from reporting on the death and its aftermath. (CHRD)[14]

Shandong Police Reject Application for Demonstration
Police in Shandong Province has rejected an application for two local victims of forced home demolitions to demonstrate on May 1, claiming that their activity threatens to “severely undermine the social order.” The Lanshan District branch of the Public Security Bureau issued its decision on April 24, and applicants Wang Jinsheng (王进生) and Liu Guohui (刘国慧) filed an application the next day with the Lanshan District People’s Government to review the decision. Wang and Liu have sought legal recourse over the demolition of their homes, which were among dozens of residences the government cleared away in 2006 to make way for business development. Over the years, the Linyi City Intermediate People’s Court has reportedly received more than 100 complaints from those who lost their homes; however, the court has not taken any action despite the provincial and city people’s congresses issuing letters telling the court to handle the issue. (CHRD)[15]

Special Notice
CHRD Makes UN Submission in Behalf of Imprisoned Activist Chen Xi
CHRD has recently submitted allegations of human rights violations to Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of human rights activist Chen Xi (陈西), who is serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” last December. The submission about Chen, which was sent on March 27, alleged arbitrary detention, violation of freedom of expression, and violation of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. Chen Xi was seized and arrested for “inciting subversion” on November 29, 2011, and his case was sent to the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court on December 16, only five days after Chen’s family received notification of his arrest. The Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court held a trial and sentenced him on December 26, 2011. The court cited as “evidence” excerpts taken from among 36 articles that Chen had published on overseas websites since May of 2005, asserting they had slandered “the Chinese Communist Party as a lawless, underground organization that arbitrarily deprives [its citizens] of human rights” and called the “government ‘evil’ and ‘cruel’.” Currently held in Xingyi Prison, the 58-year-old Chen has been imprisoned twice before—for three years in 1989 for participating in the pro-democracy movement, and again in 1996 for 10 years for “organizing and leading a counterrevolutionary group.” Chen is a member of the Guizhou Human Rights Forum, which Guizhou authorities declared an “illegal organization” on December 5 of last year, just days after Chen’s arrest. (CHRD)[16]

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